Recommended Film: “Mr Angel” SXSW Documentary Spotlight

Director Dan Hunt’s Mr. Angel is a deep dive into the essence of self identity and how that can run headlong into society’s predetermined definitions of sexuality and gender.

Shot over six years, the film follows Buck’s extraordinary life as a transgender advocate, educator, and porn pioneer.

While it may not be your cup of tea, it has a very strong message about identity in today’s society.

It’s morning in Mexico. Buck is feeding his 7 dogs. Trailed by the pack, he picks up photos & reveals his past. Buck was born female yet always knew he was male. Even his parents raised him as a boy until puberty. That’s when the conflict began escalating to drug addiction and suicide attempts. Buck fully transitioned to male when he underwent a double mastectomy. The film follows Buck as he creates a new genre in porn trying to change the belief that you need a penis to be a man. Not aware of their child’s fame are his parents whose participation is a moving reunion uncovering Buck’s early history. “Mr. Angel” packs a universal lesson of acceptance and is a portrait of an unlikely hero.

Which is why the impact of the film for me — and I think for many who will see it — was so stunning.

Buck’s “differentness” is real and part of his hard won identity. But those differences come to seem less and less important as you slowly discover just how much Buck has to teach us all about authenticity, self-discovery , and the profound need we all share to love, and be loved for who we are.

About SXSW & Austin, Texas

The SXSW Baby Podcast

Visit the SXSW Baby! Podcast Page (coming back soon) to find out more about our daily show from SXSW and listen to all the episodes. Brought to you in association with The Podcast Corner and Ewan Spence.

This is SXSW Baby! We do this for love of South by Southwest. "SXSW" is a trademark of SXSW, Inc. and is used under license. This site is not affiliated, allied, certified, or sanctioned by SXSW, Inc. For official information about the SXSW Conferences and Festivals, visit them at sxsw.com. Posts and comments belong to those who wrote them. This site powered by Wordpress and lots of Shiner Bock. If you like what we do, why not consider a small donation so we can keep doing it?